I attended my first Underoath show almost 20 years ago. At the time, the world had no idea of the power and impact the humble band from Florida would have on progressive, heavy rock.
Since then, they have blazed a trail of honestly, authenticity, and beautifully messy faith that has touched the lives of countless listeners around the globe.
Recently, Underoath kicked off their Blind Obedience tour with Periphery and Loathe, and simultaneously released a new single, “Let Go.”
In a recent interview with BRIDGE, lead vocalist Spencer Chamberlain spoke more on the single. “Let Go is very aggressive and in your face,” he said. “It deals with a lot of mental health issues, particularly the feeling that you’re not good enough.”
Written together with drummer Aaron Gillespie, the song brought together the experiences of both artists as they’ve had similar but different struggles in battling their own demons over the years. “Whether its addiction, depression, divorce or just change, we’ve all gone through hard times and this song addresses that battle.”
It is that strong conviction and determination to help change the lives of their listeners that has cemented Underoath as pillars in heavy metal music. “It’s our job,” Spencer says. “We all grew up hearing songs that helped us feel less alone and changed our lives, it’s our only goal at the end of the day, to make someone feel understood.”
And that they have done. For years, the iconic band has tackled difficult themes in an effort to help others and to create music they would want to listen to.
“We don’t listen to tons of heavy music,” Chamberlain shared, “so when we write, we really dig and ask ourselves what we would want out of aggressive music. We try to find the sounds that we want to feel, that we feel may be missing from other music.”
Coming on the heels of last year’s Voyeurist, their first fully self-produced album, the members of Underoath have continued down that path of self-producing every song since then.
Taking the recording process into their own hands proved to be a welcomed challenge for the team, as it understandably came with its share of tough conversations. But those conversations, as Chamberlain said, “have made us closer and healthier than we’ve ever been.”
Spencer admits that while the result was overwhelmingly positive, the band had to break down some walls that had built up over the years. “It definitely took a lot of trust and communication,” he said, “there’s no way we could have done that in our 20’s.”
As Underoath continues to mature and evolve, the fruit of that labor is becoming more and more evident. There is no doubt the band will masterfully continue down the lifelong path of self-discovery and to produce more and more music that accomplishes their goal; “to be honest in our lyrics and let people know they’re not alone.”
Keep up with the latest on Underoath on social media and be sure to catch them on the Blind Obedience Tour, currently underway.
